Southside ISD updates its mold remediation efforts

Spokeswoman: At least seven areas were affected

SAN ANTONIO – The Southside Independent School District has been updating parents, teachers and staff this week about its efforts to get rid of mold discovered in seven locations at the end of the last school year.

The district has several schools and other buildings on its main property in the 19000 block of Highway 281.

“Many of those areas have already been treated and cleared,” said Sylvia Rincon, Southside ISD spokeswoman.

But she said one area includes five classrooms in its Early College High School campus that remain off limits for now.

Rincon also said the overall process of testing and remediation is ongoing elsewhere.

“We’re looking at all facilities in our district, making sure they’re safe and secure for our students and employees,” Rincon said.

She said although mold was found in some classrooms, “We also know it was found in different facilities that are non-classroom-related.”

Rincon said some examples are a janitor’s closet or areas near an air-conditioning unit or beneath a leaky roof.

She said a contributing factor was the above average rainfall last spring.

Rincon said the risk management consultant hired soon after the mold was found said the right combination of three factors typically contribute to mold -- moisture, heat and a surface to grow on.

However, Rincon pointed out the district has a protocol in place requiring immediate action.

She said, “So far, we have not discovered anything that has put anybody in harm’s way.”


About the Author:

Jessie Degollado has been with KSAT since 1984. She is a general assignments reporter who covers a wide variety of stories. Raised in Laredo and as an anchor/reporter at KRGV in the Rio Grande Valley, Jessie is especially familiar with border and immigration issues. In 2007, Jessie also was inducted into the San Antonio Women's Hall of Fame.